Prior to the conception and development of the present invention, pick-up truck users have had to endure cumbersome ways to move items in the bed of the truck from near the cab to the tailgate. One common way is to climb inside and walk to the item and then push or pull it. Another is to stand on something outside the bed and reach over the side wall to reach the item. The task becomes even harder or more time consuming if the bed is extra long or has a tonneau cover. Some, such as Frerichs in U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,064, have devised ways to make access easier, in Frerichs' case a pull-out step.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,338, Lemke discloses a multi-purpose adjustable pole for use in pick-up trucks that serves as a hanging or restraint bar across the width of the bed. Also, it can be used to move cargo around in the bed of the truck. However, the many parts and features of the Lemke design are likely to make it costly for someone who wants to just pull or push items around the bed. Also, the cargo arm in Lemke is slanted away from the user and has no hook near the tip, thus making it prone to slipping off many items which the user wants to pull in his direction.
In U.S. Pat. Application Publication 2006/0249963, a pole-mounted load handling apparatus with a claw-like head is disclosed. It is not telescopically extendable, and a primary feature is a built in adjustable loop for grabbing certain types of items. This makes the device somewhat complex to manufacture and consequently more expensive than some pick-up owners are willing to pay.